Well, another "Chinese" product story. And even though Sencor claims to have a Japanese heart (once...), in essence it is just another private/white label brand from the Czech Republic, with low-cost products. Just like most German, Dutch, English, etc. brands, they have transformed into sound/video and household appliances.
What bothers me every time with Chinese products (and I regret it again) is that, although they have all the specifications and capabilities on paper, the implementation is lacking. And damn it, they are only a fraction of their cost away from delivering what they promise.
I have bought and used many radios (transistor radios and larger ones) since the "needle" era, in bedside "radio-alarm" tables, to today's "PLL" radios. Almost all of them, especially those with AA(A) batteries or rechargeable Nokia batteries, do not sound good or have good reception.
I saw the size of the SRD 3200 and decided to try it. The same or similar OEM/ODM must exist in other brands (Akai, etc.). I did not see detailed reviews on Greek websites (only positive ones), but whatever I read on foreign ones (using Google Translate) is confirmed. It attracted me for "bedside, sleep" use, the size (208 x 164 x 63 mm), the 3" speaker, AC 230 or battery operation, and the Sencor "tradition" in radios (reception, sound).
The good things:
+ It has a very good rubberized surface, like suede, with a good feel and does not leave fingerprints, beautiful design
+ Small but readable LCD, backlit, dims after a while, ideal for night, bedside!
+ Volume button on top, with a rotary encoder (endless), no problem with dust, "scratches" in the sound
+ Snooze function, pressing the volume button on top, the same trick activates the sleep timer, adjustable
+ Bluetooth works well, USB and micro-SD ports, headphone jack
+ Lightweight-portable, only weighs a few grams with the 3 C-type batteries
The expected things:
~ Better sound than a transistor radio, but not Sony, Philips, weak bass, "dull" treble
~ Satisfactory volume, at around 1.2W the sound becomes "tinny"
~ Relatively good reception, the antenna works (although it needs adjustment in electronics), not Sangean, Tecsun
~ The small buttons in a circular layout are hard to read at night, and there are no radio memory buttons
~ The power plug (double "omega") comes out vertically from the back (instead of angled or from the side), limiting space
The unacceptable things:
- When operating with the power cord, the built-in transformer makes a loud buzzing noise, heard throughout the room!
- At the lowest volume 1, the sound is quite loud for sleep, it can be heard in the adjacent room!
- It operates with either power OR (exclusive) batteries, with the cord plugged in but not in the socket, it does not work with batteries
- Due to the above, if it is plugged in (despite the buzzing) with batteries and there is a power outage, the alarm is useless in the morning
The design and product management went well, they took a chipset with PLL tuning, digital volume, and made the product! Because I know something about electronics, a transformer without buzzing, slightly better antenna adjustment, slightly better speaker and sound cavity, true or semi-logarithmic volume, "OR" function for power or batteries (with clock/alarm preservation), and optionally, buttons for 5+ presets, would not cost the manufacturer more than $1 and would make the product better than Sony's at 2 or 3 times the price!
That being said, I am tired and ashamed to return it. What I will do (with no guarantee) is to "open it up" and try to fix the sound, minimal intensity, and battery backup. I will also check the rest (USB, headphones) and will come back.